A “free pour” refers to the pouring of alcohol or mixing of drinks without using a measuring device. In the bartending art, bartenders are trained to count the amount of time they are pouring a beverage to roughly estimate the volume they are dispensing. Typically, the pouring is done through an industry-standard pour spout that is sized to dispense beverage under normal gravity pour conditions at a consistent flow rate. For example, a conventional pour spout will dispense about an ounce of beverage every one to two seconds under the pressure exerted by the weight of the beverage in a 750 ml or 1 liter beverage container.
In what is sometimes referred to in the trade as a “free pour count,” the bartender begins the pour by inverting the beverage container to about a ten to twelve o-clock angle. Once the bartender observes the stream of beverage exiting the pour spout and/or hitting the glass, the bartender begins a paced count (e.g., “one, two, three, four . . . ”). When the bartender reaches the desired count—e.g., “five” for a one-and-one-quarter-ounce “standard pour”—the bartender rapidly tilts the beverage container upward while simultaneously turning her wrist, in a graceful action referred to as a “cut.” The speed at which a bartender paces her count depends on the count system employed. Some bartenders employ a “four count” system to dispense a quarter ounce of beverage per increment. Other bartenders employ a “three count” system in which an ounce is dispensed at count “three.” Yet other bartenders employ a “one one-thousand, two one-thousand” count, incrementing the count about every second.
Several variables reduce the accuracy and consistency of a free pour. There is an initial reaction time between the moment a stream of beverage exits the pour spout and/or hits a glass and the moment the bartender begins the count. The flow rate may also be reduced by what is known in the bartending industry as a “hiccup,” when an air bubble travels up the inverted spout. There is also a subsequent reaction time between the moment the bartender reaches the desired count and the moment the bartender begins the cut. Moreover, bartenders may not always count at an accurate and consistent pace. Of course, it is also easy for a bartender to get distracted and lose track of their count, particularly in busy environments. Frequently, these variables result in the bartender dispensing additional beverage—a phenomenon known as “overpouring”—costing the establishment lost revenues.
What is needed is a small, low-cost smart pour spout that will help bartenders keep track of how much beverage they are pouring and when they should begin a cut to stop the pour.